Latest news with #SongsoftheWayfarer
The Herald Scotland
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow 2025: Cunningham opens the festival in memorable fashion
Dance: Songs of the Wayfarer DIG at Tramway, Glasgow Mary Brennan Five stars 'I will find a way…' True to her word, she does. For Claire Cunningham has ever seen adversity - in whatever guise - as an adjunct to creativity that explores the very heart of our being. This time, opening Dance International Glasgow 2025, she's rallying us to go hiking with her - she's already kitted out! Boots on, backpack, her everyday crutches to hand, and a map. In fact, the map is a music score - Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer. Cunningham will sing snatches of it throughout the piece, her (classically trained) voice soaring high and pure - like untainted mountain air. Off she goes. Counting steps, her crutches adding tempos of their own, as she negotiates the ins and outs of the Tramway space, her movements and body language morphing it into a landscape of rocky outcrops and steep inclines. We - like the group on on-stage beanbags - stay seated, but Cunningham's astutely nuanced physicality connects us into her travels and travails. We feel the effort and concentration when - crutches discarded - she wriggles and stretches and crawls across the floor until she finds shelter among the waiting peaks of inter-locking crutches. But it's when, on her crutches, she climbs over row by row of Tramway's seating tiers that her valiant endeavours are at their most poignant. She perches high up. Scanning the view, she rests. Then speaks, with quiet affable dignity, of grief, loss and cherished memories - her words echoed in the graceful BSL signing of Yvonne Waddell. And yes, her outlook is from the perspective of being disabled, but her meditative reflections on the how's and why's of an unpredictable journey through life apply to us all… Her performance is subtly embedded in projected images of cascading waters, of pathways drawn across the floor, of words streamed across an upstage screen - all ensuring we find a way to share in her melancholy, her joy, her resilient humour. Memorable, moving and inspirational.
South China Morning Post
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
No Limits arts festival spotlights music, dance, theatre and film
Published: 1:00pm, 14 Feb 2025 Inclusivity meets creativity at the 2025 edition of the No Limits arts festival . Now in its seventh year, the event has been curated according to this year's theme, 'The Human Touch', to underline the connections art can foster between individuals of all abilities. Running from February 21 to March 29, No Limits comprises performances, workshops and community events across music, dance, theatre and film, spotlighting both local talents and international artists. The programme kicks off with 'In Touch We Trust', a community project that delves into the intricate relationships between caregivers and care recipients. Taking place over three days at Tai Kwun, the performance features visually impaired performers donning tailor-made wearable art, weaving together dance, fashion and narrative elements in an exploration of identity and self-expression. Claire Cunningham leans into her physical disability in Songs of the Wayfarer. Photo: Sven Hagolani On March 1 and 2, blind American jazz pianist and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Whitaker will take the stage at City Hall, paying homage to jazz legends with new compositions as well as refreshing rearrangements. Scottish choreographer Claire Cunningham will present Songs of the Wayfarer from March 7 to 9 at Freespace's The Box, at the West Kowloon Cultural District . This innovative performance piece explores outdoor encounters through the lens of disabled bodies, pushing the boundaries of traditional dance. The theatrical offerings are equally compelling. At the Sheung Wan Civic Centre from March 20 to 22, Scotland-based Singaporean actor-writer Ramesh Meyyappan's poignant play Love Beyond will tackle themes of miscommunication through the lived experience of a dementia patient. Chinese internet celebrity and vlogger Zhao Hongcheng presents her award-winning solo show Be Seen from March 14 to 16 at City Hall, shedding light on the challenges faced by female wheelchair users. A scene from Love Beyond by Ramesh Meyyappan, directed by Matthew Lenton. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan Zhao's show runs concurrently with Hide-and-Seek , a dance performance by Guangzhou-based choreographer ErGao. Conceived in collaboration with visually impaired artist Theo Wang Zeyu, the production takes elements from Wang's experience as a migrant masseur and blends them with contemporary choreography, images, sound and texts.
